When Games Turn Your Entire World Upside-Down
You know, even if you “saw” betrayals coming in a video game, something about getting stabbed in the back after hours of gameplay hurts like nothing else. You’ve followed orders, shared victories, and treated certain characters like anchors, so the moment something flips, it immediately feels personal. Not to twist the knife, but we thought it was a good idea to revisit some of the biggest betrayals we collectively endured as gamers! Join us, won’t you? (Spoilers ahead.)
1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Oh, no. That’s totally fine, Bastila Shan. Good game, Jedi Council. Please keep pushing us forward while hiding our real identity. Once you find out that we’re actually Revan, rebuilt and reprogrammed for their cause, their “guidance” turns into nothing more than a carefully managed operation.
2. BioShock
“Would you kindly…” If that sparks a cold shiver down your back, you’re not alone. That little phrase is the very one that overrides your free will, all thanks to Frank Fontaine. It’s hard not to feel played when you realize your helpfulness was basically his remote control.
3. Metal Gear Solid
Where were you when you found out that “Master Miller” was actually Liquid Snake, feeding you selective information to advance FOXHOUND’s goals? He manipulates your decisions while sounding like a reliable mentor, which made the whole thing extra sour.
- EMR - from Chicago, USA on Wikimedia
4. Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy was never shy about throwing a wrench in our plans, but after Sephiroth kills Aerith Gainsborough at the City of the Ancients, we could only stare at our screens. It cut through any sense of safety we had left, and from that point on, we could only chase him through grief.
5. The Last of Us Part II
Oh, Abby Anderson. When we catch you, Abby. Yeah, we definitely loved watching her and the Washington Liberation Front crew ambush Joel, even after he’s helpless. Sure enough, we could only sit there as the game weaponized our expectations of mercy and dialogue, then refused to deliver either. To make it worse, we’re left carrying Ellie’s rage while the game keeps complicating who you’re supposed to hate.
6. Red Dead Redemption 2
Micah ruined “cowpoke” forever, and that’s perhaps the biggest crime of all. Or, you know, it could be that he feeds information to the Pinkertons and steadily undermines Dutch’s judgment. It all felt inevitable in hindsight, but that only made it more frustrating when we finally got to confront him.
Clastr Cloud Gaming on Unsplash
7. Mass Effect
This whole series is shrouded in lies. The Illusive Man uses Cerberus resources to win your trust, then tries to seize control of the Collector Base instead of destroying it. His “bigger picture” pitch just treats your hard choices like temporary obstacles to his agenda, and by the end, he’s not your sponsor—he’s a problem to stop.
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
General Shepherd, why? What could we do but watch him attack us (and Ghost), then frame the incident to manufacture a heroic narrative for himself? Even worse is that it happens after you’ve done the dirty work he asked for without blinking.
http://www.gamingxp.com/pictures/uploads/August_09/modern_warfare_2_logo.jpg on Wikimedia
9. Halo: Combat Evolved
343 Guilty Spark presents Halo as a strategic weapon, then reveals it’s designed to wipe out sentient life by starving the Flood of hosts. Hooray. His betrayal isn’t exactly emotional, either—it’s ideological. He’s perfectly fine sacrificing everyone as long as the installation completes its function.
10. Dragon Age: Origins
A giant thank you to Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir for abandoning King Cailan’s forces at Ostagar, leaving the Grey Wardens to be slaughtered by the darkspawn. The betrayal is political, calculated, and completely devastating for anyone who believed in Ferelden’s unity. Plus, you spend the rest of the game cleaning up a disaster he chose on purpose.
11. Dragon Age II
Dragon Age wasn’t done with us in the second installment. Anders blows up the Kirkwall Chantry, cursing nothing but chaos while insisting it’s necessary for mage freedom. He keeps you close, shares his ideals, and then reveals he’s been preparing behind your back.
12. God of War II
Anyone who knows anything about Zeus probably saw this coming. Still, it hurt after he stripped Kratos of his power and ran him through with the Blade of Olympus after acting like reconciliation was possible. Sure, it’s delivered with absolute certainty that you won’t get back up, but of course, we do, and the rest becomes a very big consequence.
13. Portal
GLaDOS promises cake! Congratulates our progress! Then…calmly attempts to incinerate us when testing is “complete.” It’s all funny on the surface, but it’s also straightforward: she never intended to let us leave, and considering she’s a maniac, it’s a hard pill to swallow.
14. Portal 2
As if dealing with GLaDOS wasn’t bad enough, what about beloved Wheatley? He starts as your well-meaning guide, then becomes the new boss and immediately decides you’re a problem. That’ll teach us to just trust someone willy-nilly.
Digital Game Museum on Wikimedia
15. Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow
Your rival, Blue Oak, constantly undercuts you, swoops in ahead of you, and ends up Champion right before you arrive. It’s not quite a single villain speech, but it still feels like betrayal when the person closest to your journey treats it like a personal contest.
16. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
We thought we could trust Edelgard von Hresvelg. She leads us as a student, earns our trust, and then unveils that she’s been operating as the Flame Emperor to reshape the continent through war. When the mask drops, you’re not just choosing sides; you’re choosing what kind of loyalty you believe in.
17. Batman: Arkham City
Surprise—Ra’s al Ghul is up to his usual nonsense. There’s nothing like knowing he manipulates events through the League of Assassins and leverages Protocol 10 to turn Arkham City into his cleansing ground. And here we thought we were solving a crisis.
18. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Let’s be honest: we weren’t expecting anything good from Sauron. But after he murks you and your family to empower his ritual, it’s hard not to see red. Worse still, Celebrimbor’s agenda reveals itself as increasingly self-serving as he pushes domination in the name of “victory.” The double sting is realizing you’re caught between monsters, and one of them is literally in your head.
Flickr user, George DeMet on Wikimedia
19. Destiny 2: Forsaken
Uldren Sov kills Cayde-6, turning a beloved ally into a casualty of obsession and manipulation. It’s personal, too—Cayde’s been your companion through missions and jokes, and then he’s just gone. Chasing Uldren afterward feels less like hero work and more like unfinished business.
20. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ganondorf follows you into the Sacred Realm and claims the Triforce, all because you unknowingly opened the way by collecting the Spiritual Stones. The whole reveal is pretty sneaky because it’s less about a friend turning on you and more about a villain exploiting your good intentions. When you wake up seven years later to a ruined Hyrule, it’s hard not to feel like you got tricked into doing his chores.
